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Province Apothecary's beard oil is a hydrating blend of cedar wood and black spruce oils.

In a recent GQ magazine interview, crooner Frank Ocean lambasted his ageless peer Pharrell for selfishly keeping his skin-care routine to himself. Sal Patel feels equally precious about the process behind maintaining a respectable beard. Patel, who works at a tech company in Toronto, has sported a hirsute look for about 5 1/2 years, learning through trial and error which products and treatments will keep his facial hair looking sharp and feeling soft.

“The biggest key for me is bi-weekly trips to the barber shop for a clean up,” he says, a routine that he considers extravagant, but necessary. He also has at-home rituals to keep his beard from getting coarse in between visits, including applying a dime-sized amount of beard oil daily. “It’s mandatory if you have a beard,” says Patel, whose oil of choice is Province Apothecary’s hydrating blend of cedar wood and black spruce oils.

If you’re new to beard oil, consider it a styling gel for your facial hair that has a bonus blast of conditioner to keep those coarse hairs soft. While oil products exist for face and hair, beard oil is made with ingredients selected to care for the specific needs of facial hair and the skin beneath and it will usually come with an aroma that’s apropos of what you’d appreciate in a beard.

Province Apothecary Beard Oil, $36 through provinceapothecary.ca.

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